Is Hyundai Kona electric right for us?

G'Day Llorgon. I can't help with the cold weather stuff, but I can easily comment on the warm. I live in Brisbane. I have a Zappi charger at home to give me 7kW (or 2.5 kW on Solar panels only). Right now is mid-summer, so range is spectacular. On Xmas day I started at 100% and had almost 600km on the GOM (584km to be exact). I went 200 km with temps starting at 28 and finish at 36C. I had 301 km left on the GOM (so the GOM was under-stating by 30% or so because I don't normally go 200 km at 110 km/h). Your 345 km in summer should be no problem. The hill won't be any bother either - no need to charge at the top since you get all the energy back on regen on the way down. See the link below for an idea on downhill regen experiment. I've done the same trip in my Kona on the "cruise" mentioned in the video.

Overheating? Nope. We've had some chunky low and mid-40s temps in the last few months and no problems. Your 30+ doesn't even raise a sweat.

As for the dealerships..... remember that they make absolutely nooooo money from servicing, so not much incentive for them, alas. I only had one dealer in Brisbane (at the time) to choose from and they were fine. And they admitted that EV buyers are always more knowledgeable than the dealers. Don't be too harsh: they have to make the margin on the original sale.

Here's the link:

If you haven't already, check out Bjorn Nyland's channel on YouTube. He's a Tesla guy but has done a some great Kona drives including some really low-temperature stuff. He's in Norway, so everything is in metric.

 

1. How do they handle in the snow/slippery/icy conditions?

With snow tires, it handles very well with extra 1000 lbs of battery, not quite AWD but probably as good as any FWD can be in the snow.
In fact with the virtually instant heat i.e.no warm up ,I will go as far and state my Kona is probably one of the best winter vehicles I have owned.

2. We drive 100km a day between my wife's commute to work and going to the gym. Most of that is highway driving 80-100kmh speed limits. Also my wife's commute involves hills on the highway. Will we have issues if we can't install a level 2 charger at home right away?

In the summer the included 120v EVSE will take around 9 hours to recharge a 100 km worth of range and in the winter its going to be more like 16 hours, your going to need the level 2 charger sooner than later.

3. Loss of range in cold weather. How bad is it? The car would be in a garage at night, but sit outside while my wife is at work. Winter temps can get down to -15 here although that is only for a couple days. Usually winter temps are in the -5 range.

Summer range can be in well excess of 400km, winter range really depends on outside temperature , snow, how much heat you use, city vs hwy driving, etc. At -5C my range drops to around 320km at -15C it will look more like 290 km on a full charge.

4. Is overheating in the summer something to worry about. We like to go on road trips. Our 2 main destinations are 146km and 345km away. Temps here and our vacation spots get to 30+ in the summer.

Not an issue, it has active temperature management

5. Do hills really kill the range of ev's? If we wanted to go to the ski hill for the day would we be able to get by without charging at the top? The trip is 57km with a incline of 1,388m pretty much 10-15min uphill driving.

Its certainly a factor but 57 km should be no issue.

Also, is it just me or do dealerships make no effort to even mention electric cars?! And if you manage to get into one they know nothing about it.

Nope not just you. Most just don't have a clue.

 

1. There are a number of threads on winter tires , range and, driving conditions . I suggest you do a search on "winter" and review some of those threads.

2. You shouldn't have any issues with a 100km commute. Even in the winter it will be closer to 300km range. If they are just hills it shouldn't affect the range much. I figure about 15km of range usage for every 300m of climbing. Conversely I get a return of about 10 km of range for every 300 m of decent. With the level 1 charger that comes with the car you will get about 100 km of range for every 12 hours of charging. The same charger can be run on 240 volt and you will get about 200Km of range for 12 hours of charging. So if you have access to a 240 volt outlet of 15 amps or greater you could use the charger that comes with the car and an adapter plug to get the higher level of charging

3. My experience with range in -5 to 5 degree lows and highs is about 350 km of range as opposed to over 450 in the summer months.

4 I have driven for over 8 hours in 40 degree heat including 1000 meters of climbing with no issues of any kind.

5. I live at 1200m in the mountains. If I drive down into the valley and back about 1000m decent, its about 150 km trip and I use about 200km of range. I drive with lights on and heater or ac on as appropriate with no attempt to extend the range.

You will always know more than the dealer does about EV's

 

I do a 160 mile round-trip commute twice a week across the hills of Massachusetts. I have two hill climbs: the first from 220 ft. to 900 ft and the second from 500 to 1200 ft. They're long gradual climbs that spread out over 10-15 miles each. My final destination is at approximately the same elevation that I start at...around 220 feet above sea level. It's 20% urban traffic, 40% secondary single lane highways and 40% four-lane highways. I've been driving in winter conditions since Nov. My range has been averaging about 3.8 miles per kwh. On really cold days it's been as low as 3.1 and on some warmer days (40°F) around 4.1. In August I could get 4.4 on this trip. I have Nokian snow tires installed. My average road speed for the entire trip is about 50 mph. I usually don't go over 65 mph on the four lane highways because the power draw really jumps up when going over 60 mph. What I can tell you with a lot of assurance is that you can save a lot of power simply by going slower. High road speed seems to drain the battery faster than anything else.

Also, don't forget you'll be getting regen all the way down that 1388m hill. You'd be surprised how much power that will put back in your battery.

 

Do a couple of road tests to see if you are going to be happy with comfort level since you are coming from a Ford 150. That is quite the drastic down size. We bought the 2019 Kona EV sight unseen, but we did a brief test ride in a petrol Kona. We have found the Kona EV too low concerning head room entering and exiting the car (we are 70 years old and less flexible than younger years) and we call it a head banging car. We bought the Kia Soul Ev 2020 last summer, and it has much more room and no head banging. It doesn't have the solid feeling that the Kona does, but it honestly is much more comfortable seat wise, head room wide, and cargo wise. We are going to trade the Kona EV next month (we are waiting for the rebate term to expire). I would say the Kona EV is the better car in the sense of build quality, but the Kia EV is better in the sense of comfort and navigation. Both our cars do well with all weather tires in the snow. If it is a cold winter, you will lose at least 25% to 35% range. You will need the level 2 charger so as not to fret about having enough time to charge up.

 

Some utility companies have rebates to help cover the cost of the install which could help. I guess the key thing is if you have room to add it to you existing service or will you need a service up grade. Even a small 16 am level 2 (20 am circuit) will get you over night charging. Obviously not as fast as a 32 amp charger. But there are chargers with adjustable amp ratings so you could start with a 20 amp curcuit and then up grade when it become financially feasibly.

 

I am a tall person (6'5") and a happy owner of a Kona EV Limited. One thing that I did glean while doing pre-purchase research, is that that the SEL model without the sunroof, does provide a bit more headroom (almost 2 inches I think). The first Kona EV I sat in was an Ultimate, and it just felt really cramped. But with the seat adjustments made, and a smaller car mindset, the Limited has been a great choice. FWIW

 

Be very careful with your decision even if your wife is primary driver. We are losing quite a bit of money over our purchase of the Kona EV, and then not finding it comfortable. The pet peeves do get bigger over time. I find the Soul EV cute and the Kona EV a little non descript in design, but I know lots hate the look of the Soul EV. It sure is roomier with so much more head space, and the seats up front can be low enough that you don't wack your head getting in and out. We have two dogs, and I garden a lot so the space in Soul EV is more suited to us. In your shoes, I would really try to hunt down a Niro EV to test drive. It seems that the whingers like me over Kona EV lacking head and elbow room are pretty happy with the Niro EV. Even Bjorn Nyland mentioned the difference in interior space in the Niro EV being well worthconsidering it as a choice. My husband and I argue over who gets to drive the Kia EV versus the Kona EV--as neither of us pick the Kona. If interior room and room for passengers isn't a consideration (the Soul has great rear passenger room in comparison to the Kona), go for the Kona. But if you get cranky when confined in a car on a road trip, consider the Soul EV or the Niro EV. Good luck. These decisions are difficult.

 

Kind of depends on how far and how difficult it is to run a line from your main house panel. Here in Canada a 14-50 receptacle is $20-60 depending if its indoor or outdoor rated, 8 gauge 4 conductor wire around $3/foot, a 2 pole 240v 40-50 amp breaker is around $50-60, + misc cost for things like conduit and electrical boxes and labor if your paying an electrician . A 32 amp EVSE will range from $350-$1000. Hope that is helpful.

 

You may be able to do without one. With the 120v granny cable the idea is to plug in whenever the car's at home. That way it remains topped up, and if you do the occasional 400 km trip, you stop at a fast charger to get back up to 80% or so. It all depends on how much you drive, and yours might be a borderline case, but I say put off the decision about an L2 station until you know you need it.

 

Some prospective buyers may not realize that the big lever on the
side of tne seat cranks its height up and down over a healthy range.
[Might be motorized in higher trims]

_H*

 

"We will make sure to take it for a thorough test drive. We have sat in the gas version and while it was on the small side. I had head room when I had the seat all the way down. But that's a common thing for me with my height. Other than head room what do you dislike about it? The niro is a bit out of our budget for the options we want. There also isn't one currently available to drive within 3 hours of us. I think I would have a hard time convincing my wife on the soul. She just really hates the look of it."

Llorgon, the things that we don't like are basically related to size and not performance. We took the Soul EV out for a couple of test drives and were pleased with a softer suspension over bumps and the head room entering and exiting the car. Then we discovered that the Soul seats were very much more comfortable in that the seat is longer so it doesn't cut so much into the thigh on longer trips. Then we found shoulder space better. Then we put our dog kennels in the back of the Soul and we had much more room left to put groceries and plants etc. Then we got very attached to the larger navigation screen. The negatives are it lacks the fit and finish quality of the Kona EV --just little things around the hatch door.
We had a few negative dealings with Hyundai that soured us on the product too. We were on the wait list for about 7 or 8 months and when the cars started arriving, they gave cars to non wait list people first which didn't make us happy. We got a loud clunking noise about a month into having the Kona. We had to whine and go back repeatedly with the Kona EV when we started having clunky sounds that didn't manifest themselves when I took it in x 2 to complain that it sounded like the bottom was falling out of the car. Then on the 3 time back to the dealer, the mechanic said "oh we have had several cars in with that problem". Pissed me right off as they kept telling me they didn't know what I was talking about and no one else complained. Caught them lying. They had to send for clips and pads from South Korea, and didn't bother to phone me when they arrived. So we did get fed up with Hyundai. So I can't say that has not coloured our opinions of the car. i.e. little discomforts seem bigger when you feel you have been screwed around. But trying to be as objective as possible, I would describe the Soul EV as a much better family car and the Kona EV a better product for the population that like a sportier vehicle that hugs the corners well and has the sturdiness of a BMW or Mercedes. The Soul EV doesn't have that heavy duty quality that the Kona EV has. But I still vote Soul EV lol. For true preference if I wasn't considering our carbon footprints, I would vote Ford 150 pickup, Soul EV, and then Kona EV.

 

I did install my 14-50 outlet for the EVSE (charger) myself. My breaker panel is in the garage which made it super easy. Less than 30 minutes of work and my 14-50 outlet was installed. $40 for materials.. I got the Mustart 32 amp EVSE which charges the Kona as fast as possible (for Level 2). The Mustart EVSE costs $299, so total cost if you install your own outlet would be less than $350.

 

didn't read it, so if i missed it, sorry.
need of a 220 charger also depends on plugin capability at any end you drive to as well. a 110 plug at work or elsewhere you visit could make it unecessary too.
just need a fast charger somewhere on long excursions then.

 

You'll be marginal without a L2, especially if you have, and intend to adhere to off-peak rates.

 

If you have, or can install, a 20a 220V outlet in your garage, then you could simply use the supplied charger that comes with the car, and plug it into 220 and get 2.6kw charging speed, which isn't bad. It's a cheaper install and it would allow you to use the EVSE that's included with the car. (details here: https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/rv-adapter.6247/page-5#post-88264) In 13 hours that will give you a 50% charge, which is plenty for most users.

Frankly if I'd known this little tidbit a month ago I might have skipped buying my 40A Juicebox EVSE since I already had a 20A 220V outlet in my garage.